The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-06-04
JACKS FIR PILLOW.

He was bright, handsome young fell
low OF perhaps five-and-twenty, while I,
demure spinster well into the fifties,
looked old enough to be his mother.
So the gossips at the little summer
hotel where we we're boarding could
really find nothing to say, though we
often had long talks together, this young
Jack Turner and myself, when we hap
pened to meet In the parlor or out on the
piazza.
The special craze among our young
lady boarders just then was the making
of all sorts of pretty pillows, which they
filled with pine-needles or buds of the
fragrant balsam.fr, and embroidered
with various appropriate notices, such
as "Dream of the woods" "The pines
shall whisper peace" Give me of your
balm, o fir-tree," etc., etc. And as the
pricking of these pine-needles and pitchy
fir tips was rather disagreeable work for
dainty white fingers, it was quite the
fashion for all the chivslric young men in
the house to volunteer their services in this
initiatory part of the work. Moreover,
there was not little rivalry among them
as to who could find the most fragrant
trees, species of the balsam- fir denom-
mated strawberry" being the rarest and
most in demand.
was, therefore, not at all surprised
when this new acquaintance of mine,
having found out my botanic proclivities,
came to me one bright morning with an
immense tow bag slupg across his Shout
ders and announced his intention of pick
ing fir in some remote woods on the other
side of the mountain. Would go with
him and show him the right kind Of
tree? He had brought back whole bag
full of worthless stuff the day before, and
all because he couldn't tell spruce-tree
from a fir.
How could resist such pathetic ap-
peal-especially when he could show me
in this particular piece of woods rare
and beautiful species of orchid that /
had long been trying to find.
mol 1 couldn't refuse. So Jack with
his bag and with my basket started off
in high spirits that glorious summer
morning. 1t was one of those rare days
in early July when cool breath from
the mountains tempered the midsummer
heat and gave one an exhilarating sense
of what Longfellow calls
1.-THE electric thrill the touch
OF life that seems almost too much"
The three miles walk around the noun
tain seemed as nothing, and we soon
reached our destination-the broad, dark
belt of woodland that enclosed like vel
vet girdle the picturesque little lake at
the foot Of the highest peak. Jack had
proved himself most entertaining COM
panion all the way. He reminded me of
a dear young nephew l had lost, and al
though week before we had been total
strangers, L was glad to notice that he
seemed to regard me already as an old
and tried friend. Upon one subject, how
ever, he was very reticent. When I
found for him clump Of the genuine
strawberry" trees, and jokingly asked
him for which of our pretty young ladies
he was going to pick the fir, he looked
up quickly, and then, with confused
look on his frank countenance, said: "Oh,
it is for no one here; it is for some one
miles and miles away. And do you
think" he added, with an distracted air
quite foreign to his usual manner, that
it is really cure for consumption"
Hardly cure" answered, although
I've known it to give relief in many cases
of confirmed lung trouble"
The young man sighed heavily. "Well."
he replied, after long silence, am
determined to try everything for her.
OF course my sympathies we're imme-
diately aroused. I began at once to pic
ture to myself the pale young girl in her
far off home fading away day by day like
some frail sweet flower.
"Has she been i'll long timer Iven-
tured at last to inquire.
"For more than year." he answered
briefly, and then quickly turned the con-
versation upon some other subject. Still,
l could not help noticing heavy burden
evidently lay upon his mind, that, try
hard as he might he could not entirely
shake off.
Now do not think I am over-sympa-
thetic, or have more than the ordinary
amount of curiosity usually attributed to
womankind, but all the way home kept
thinking of Jacks little sweetheart $50
many miles away" and wished he would
tell me- something more about her.
1t was evening of that same day, I re-
member, that he came to me in the parlor
and drawing me into quiet corner, said
he wanted to ask my advice upon very
important subject.
Did 1 think it would be possible for
him to make up the fir pillar all himself?
He used to hem the sails OF his toy
boats when a shaver, had served good
apprenticeship in sewing on buttons
when college boy, and thought he could
still manage a needle pretty well if I
would only have the patience to show
him.
OF course with a woman's inconse-
quence, 1 Immediately offered to do the
whole thing for him. But mol he thank
ed me just the same, he said, but would
- l.